Spoilers will be unmarked.
Things are looking good for Virgil—his dad, Robert, knows about his powers but is fine with him and Richie being superheroes (although Sharon has yet to find out about their superhero identities). But when a villainous Bang Baby loses his powers, it seems more may be at play. It turns out that the local government has been spraying the entire city of Dakota with a Bang Baby antidote for a month—soon, every Bang Baby starts losing their powers, including Virgil and Richie.
Tropes
- And the Adventure Continues: Static and Gear believe that Ebon and Hotstreak are still out there, and aren't sure how many Bang Babies regained their powers from the new gas. Also, in the event the antidote is sprayed again, Richie intends to make "a cure for the cure" to shield him and Static from losing their powers again.
- Armor-Piercing Question: After Static tries to see the bright side of no longer being a superhero (e.g. Daisy and Frieda no longer being annoyed about their abrupt exits), Gear asks him if he really believes that. Static responds by quietly asking how long their powers will still work.
- Back for the Finale: Slipstream, Boom, and the Monster return. Ferret also returns for the first time since "The Big Leagues".
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Ebon and Hotstreak both intended to use the last can of Bang Baby gas to get their powers back. However, due to inhaling too much while in close quarters from fighting, they end up as a two-headed creature of shadow and fire.
- Big "NO!": When Richie finds out he's going to lose his super intelligence, he has this moment. Virgil walks into the gas station to find him banging his head on a desk in utter despair.
- Blackmail: Ebon's condition for Hotstreak, Shiv, Slipstream, Boom, and Tamara getting a whiff of the Bang Baby gas to restore their powers is swearing complete loyalty to him. Everyone but Hotstreak is willing to make that trade.
- Body Horror: Ebon and Hotstreak don't look very pleasant when they get fused together.
- Call-Back: When the Meta-Breed are raiding Dr. Todd's lab for the Bang Baby gas, Hotstreak brings up their previous encounter in "Wet and Wild".
- Came Back Strong: As a result of inhaling a stronger dose of gas than the first timenote , Static's power returns stronger than ever. Gear himself notes he's never seen Static do some of the new tricks he uses in the fight with Ebon-Streak. Static remarks the new tricks "are nothing" compared to what he feels he can do now.
- Cowardice Callout: Teresa calls Ebon out on how his desire to stop the mass De-power is motivated by fear that he'll be nothing if he loses his powers. Hotstreak even agrees with her.
- Depower: What happens to all of the bang-babies in Dakota. Including Static and Gear (albeit temporarily).
- Didn't Think This Through: Both the government and Ebon fall victim to this.
- The government clearly didn't think through the consequences of depowering everyone affected by Bang Baby gas, including heroes like Static and Gear. When the leading scientist is interviewed on a talk show, the host subtly points out the unfair move in depowering the Bang Babies who do good without consent. The scientist answers that since most Bang Babies are criminals, the ends justify the means of taking dramatic action in simply depowering everyone.
- Ebon ordering Hotstreak to take the last can of Quantum Vapor and trusting him with it. He didn't remember the two of them being at odds throughout the episode, and minutes before that, Hotstreak even sided with Talon when she called Ebon out on being scared.
- Entitled Bastard: Ebon wants Teresa to get her powers back so she can be back into his gang regardless of her wishes to be normal again.
- Evil Plan: Along with the above, Teresa pulls a Heel–Face Turn and reveals to Static and Gear that Ebon (aka, Ivan Evans) is planning to recreate the Big Bang—only thing is, Ebon plans on making it even bigger than before and intends on creating/recruiting even more Bang Babies than ever.
- Failed a Spot Check: Ebon and Hotstreak are so busy fighting over the can of gas that they don't notice they have accidentally set it off, even when it completely fills the room they are in.
- Foregone Conclusion: For careful viewers, the fact that Static and Gear get their powers back will be less of a surprise, since "Future Shock" showed Static and Gear still working as heroes 40 years into the future. However, this fact does not occur to Static in the moment.
- Fusion Dance: Ebon and Hotstreak absorb so much gas that they combine into a giant shadowy fire monster since they were right on top of each other.
- Gone Horribly Right: Ebon and Hotstreak succeed in getting their powers back but sucking up too much gas and fighting on top of each other causes them to fuse together into a two-headed monster that has both of their powers.
- Head Desk: Gear does this when he learns that he's going to lose all of his smarts.
- I Did What I Had to Do: During an interview, Dr. Todd is told how some Bang Babies wish to keep their powers and is asked if it's ethical to release the cure the way he has. He says that he certainly understands the argument, but feels this was appropriate given how only a handful of Bang Babies use their powers responsibly.
- I Just Want to Be Normal:
- Talon (whose real name is revealed to be Teresa) is happy about returning to her normal human form. She says that losing her powers and becoming human again was like "waking up from a nightmare" and she never wants to go back to being meta-human.
- Virgil mentions that having a normal life would mean that he and Richie would have more time for their social lives and schoolwork, though he admits it wouldn't be the same and will miss being a superhero.
- Ignored Epiphany: Immediately after Virgil and Richie bail on them, Daisy and Frieda see Static and Gear fly by. After noting how Virgil and Richie are strangely never around when the heroes are, they briefly wonder if the two are Static and Gear. They immediately laugh off the suggestion.
- It Only Works Once: After regaining their powers, Gear uses his returned intelligence to make an "antidote to the antidote" so he and Static don't lose their powers again.
- Merging Mistake: Edon and Hotstreak's Fusion Dance was the result of accidentally inhaling too much of the gas while fighting each other.
- The Mind Is a Plaything of the Body: Upon fusing together, Ebon and Hotstreak are reduced to a two-headed savage monster.
- Mundane Utility: When Sharon is bothering Virgil, Robert asks him to help fix his razor (implied with his electricity powers).
- No Body Could Have Survived That: After Static hurls a fuel tank into Ebon-Streak's body and ignites it, it results in a point-blank explosion which causes the ship to sink. When Static asks him if he thinks the two-headed brute is alive, Gear replies that analytically, it'd be unlikely, but his gut tells him Ebon and Hotstreak are still out there.
- One-Winged Angel: Ebon and Hotstreak absorb so much of the Bang Baby gas that they end up merging into one and growing into a gigantic, two-headed monster made of fire and shadow.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: As the episode unfolds, Richie increasingly makes stupid decisions and his grades begin dropping. He's losing his genius intelligence; turning into the slightly-less-intelligent-than-Virgil boy he used to be. This, in which, devastates him.
- Power Nullifier: The purpose of the bang-baby antidote.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Teresa (Talon) gives one to Ebon after he kidnaps her, spelling out the true reason why Ebon wants to create a second Big Bang.Teresa: You're scared. You were nothing before the Big Bang, and that's what you're gonna be again; nothing!
- Shadow Discretion Shot: Ebon and Hotstreak fusing is seen this way.
- Shout-Out: Ebon and Hotstreak's fused form is reminiscent of a two-head Balrog.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: After Teresa gives him a "The Reason You Suck" Speech, Ebon tells Hotstreak to keep her quiet, but Hotstreak tells him that she's right.
- The Starscream: Hotstreak runs off with the container of gas so that he can keep his powers without having to listen to Ebon anymore.
- Strong Family Resemblance: In his depowered state, Ebon resembles his younger brother Adam/Rubberband Man.
- They Look Just Like Everyone Else!: For being one of Static's fiercest and ruthless enemies, Ebon's original form before the Big Bang isn't anything special. It drives home that anyone can be a villain.
- Twilight of the Supers: The plotline of a "Bang Baby antidote" being developed culminates in this episode, in which the antidote is sprayed all around Dakota, causing everyone exposed to the Big Bang gas to begin returning to normal. It becomes nullified by the end of the episode with Static and Gear regaining their powers, along with an unknown amount of metahumans.
- Villain Ball: Ebon grabs it by kidnapping Talon — aka Teresa— from the hospital. Unlike the others, she's happy to be returned to normal and doesn't want to return to crime or regain her meta-human form. When Ebon locks up a depowered Static and Gear, Teresa frees them without hesitation before making a run for it.
- Wham Line: While the few Bang Babies who want their powers back meet up, they are approached by an unassuming young man with a somewhat familiar glower. When they question who he is and Shiv asking where Ebon is, he crossly remarks "I am Ebon", alerting the audience just how far the cure has advanced.
- What Happened to the Mouse?:
- As a result of this episode being the series finale, the final fate of Ebon and Hotstreak is never revealed, though Virgil and Richie theorize they're still out there. Also, the status of the other depowered bang-babies and how many got their powers back isn't revealed.
- Shiv and the other Bang Babies are last seen on the cameras searching for Hotstreak. Whether they were caught in the release of the bang baby gas or made it off the ship before it sunk is unknown.
- Wimp Fight: A couple of these, given how the characters are struggling to make do with their diminishing powers.
